Does WikiTree Have a Migration Mapping Feature

Question

Does WikiTree offer a mapping feature?

We collect data on where people live, where families and individuals migrate to.  Whether it's from the another country into another country, or within a country, state, or county.

It would be extremely beneficial to have a migratory map associated with a family tree indicating where a particular individual lived, when, and with whom.  In addition, it would be nice if this feature included a slider to time.  So, while examing a particular location over a number of years (census, birth, death, marriage data) you could see how they moved about.

My ancestors, for example, moved about the a particular set of counties in the UK, then migrated to the US, then within the US moved between states, with some settling in my home state and moving about within it.

It would be nice to be able to see graphically, where all those family members were and in what part of the world they were.  I did this myself, using map images, to understand what individuals with my surname were possibly related to me, but also to understand how my family moved about both in the US and UK.

However, it is very labor intensive and not dynamic.  It would be benefical if such an app would allow me to pick a family (surname/subset-families/individuals) and then a time (via a timeline slider).  So, at any given instance, I can see all the Budd's living in Cornwall in 1840, then with a click all those within the Richard and Nancy Budd household.

It would be appreciated if you could consider this as a feature, and any thoughts on whether it's a good idea or how to make it a better idea.

Answer 1

Hey Lawrence, great idea. I can see how that would be a good feature. I do think there are some problems. Simply, that doesn't seem like this type of company. I understand how cool it would be, but I just don't see them doing it. With how open source wikitree is, you could create a migration mapping website that runs on its own server, but utilizes the open info on wikitree. Copyright it and we can split it :)

Comments

Forgive me for disagreeing, but being open source isn't an argument for not offering it as a feature of a genealogical site.  Other genealogical sites and software offer migration mapping.

Seriously, when you include both migration data and DNA data into a migration map it could provide extremely beneifical information.  So, I don't think the answer you offered is satifactory.  If anything, WikiTree should be offering it because it could be an incredibly powerful tool for not only analyzing migratory paths of relations, but also DNA influences.

The fact that WikiTree is open source only strengthens the argument that they should impliement it because the ability to add a mapping feature to WikiTree should be easy.

Answer 2

Funny. I was just thinking about the same thing today. In doing my ancestry, I know there are different branches migrating to different parts of the country/world. It would definitely be cool to see that visually on a map.